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Ukraine elections show desire for unity, US says

Michael Hernandez Tuesday, May 27, 2014

“The large turnout sends a clear message: the Ukrainian people want to live in a united, democratic and peaceful Ukraine anchored in European institutions.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ukraine’s presidential elections on Sunday are a clear sign of the Ukrainian people’s desire to live in a united and democratic state, said John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State Monday.

Final voter turnout in Sunday’s nationwide poll was 60 percent, according to Ukraine’s Central Election Commission.

“The large turnout sends a clear message: the Ukrainian people want to live in a united, democratic and peaceful Ukraine anchored in European institutions,” Kerry said in a statement released to the press on Monday. “The successful conduct of these elections reaffirms Ukraine’s commitment to the democratic process.”

Kerry welcomed a preliminary report by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the EU’s security body, which stated that the election demonstrated “the clear resolve of the authorities to hold what was a genuine election largely in line with international commitments and with a respect for fundamental freedoms in the vast majority of the country.”

Billionaire Petro Poroshenko declared victory in the presidential election on Sunday, and leads all other candidates with 55.9 percent of the vote.

Kerry further pledged U.S. support “to build on this victory for democracy” alongside the Ukrainian people and their newly elected president.

“We will support their efforts to determine their own future in a more united, secure, independent, and prosperous Ukraine,” he said.

Kerry further condemned Russia’s “attempted annexation of Crimea,” and said that armed intimidation prevented voters from voting in two regions in eastern Ukraine. Russia took control of Crimea in March.